SR 25 Ton Brake Vans
Island of Sodor * England |first_appearance=Thomas, Percy and the Coal |creator(s)=Tenmille Britt Allcroft and David Mitton |country_of_origin =* Island of Sodor * England |basis=SR 25 ton brake van |gauge= |vehicle=Rolling stock |type=Goods brake van |wheels=4 |railway=North Western Railway }} The SR 25 Ton Brake Vans are a standard type of goods brake van. These are added to the back of a goods train and a guard rides in it. Each brake van is equipped with a strong brake to assist with slowing and stopping the train. From here, the guard can keep an eye on the train in case of problems, such as hot axle boxes, or trucks becoming uncoupled while running. Biography Thomas & Friends These brake vans are seen on the back of goods and freight trains. They serve as Sodor's main type of brake van. The brake vans have also been used as part of The Mail Train, The Flying Kipper and The Circus Train. When Percy lost control of his Troublesome Trucks, the brake van and trucks came off the rails at Bulgy's Bridge. Luckily no one was hurt, but the trucks and brake van had blocked the roadway. Harvey was sent to rerail the trainSeries 6 "Harvey to the Rescue". One of these brake vans was once part of Gordon's goods train. When the train was mistakenly sent through a branch line, Gordon failed to abide the "Go Slow" signs. He and the train topped off the tracks and into a fieldSeries 6 "Gordon Takes a Tumble". Technical Details Basis These brake vans are based on the real Southern Railway 25 Ton brake vans. These are nicknamed "Pillbox". SouthernRailway25TonPillboxBrakeVan.jpg|An SR 25 ton brake van in real life Livery In the television series, these brake vans are commonly painted in different shades of grey. But they have also been seen in white, dark brown and dark green colours. File:BrakevanModel2.png|A grey brake van with a black roof File:SRBrakevan1.png|A dark grey brake van File:SRBrakevan2.png|A dark brown brake van File:MainSRBrakevanCGI.png|A dark green brake van File:SRBrakevan3.png|A white brake van Appearances Television Series= |-|Other Media= Trivia * A few brake vans are on display; one at the British Museum, and a few at the Hara Model Railway Museum. * Between the eighth and fifteen series, brake vans were rarely seen. Since the sixteenth series, brake vans have been seen more often again. * The brake vans seen from the first to the fifth series were made out of modified Tenmille gauge one kits. These kits are still distributed by Tenmille today. * One of these brake vans was modified into a flatbed for use on Thomas' sister show TUGS, after TUGS ended it was returned to the Thomas studio and saw continued use as a flatbed, notably in Series 3, 4 and 5. ** In the third series it retained side poles added for its use on TUGS, but these were removed by the fourth series so it could transport road vehicles such as Caroline and The Horrid Lorries. Merchandise * TrackMaster (discontinued) References Category:Brake vans Category:Rolling stock Category:Standard gauge Category:North Western Railway Category:Other railways